The Science of Love & Hate
by Royal Blue Alchemist
Summary: Rukia/Mayuri. My 'crack couple' I noticed their wernt any romance stories for these two. time frame: before series
1. Chapter 1

Ch. 1

Rukia quickly walked through the twist and turns of the Soul Society roads. Captain Ukitake had told her to retrieve a file from the 12th. Divisions captain, Mayuri Kurotsuchi. She couldn't ignore the painful feeling in her stomach, she didn't much care for Captain Kurotsuchi. That shinigami made her skin crawl, even more so than Captain Ichimaru. Rukia continued to walk through the never ending labyrinth, not entirely sure where she was going. It wasn't even day she was in this part of Soul Society. After five more minutes of wondering around she finally gave up, stopping at a corner and leaning against the wall. She sighed deeply and rubbed her head.

"I'm never going to find it."

"Find what, Miss Kuchiki?

Rukia looked towards the sound of the soft voice. It was the 12th. Divisions lieutenant, Nemu. She felt sorry for the girl, but she also scared her. She knew it wasn't her fault, Mayuri did horrible things to her, so she heard. She slightly smiled at the girl, who only stared back blankly.

"I need to see Captain Kurotsuchi."

"Follow me, I'll take you to him, Miss Kuchiki."

The young girl walked past Rukia, leading the way to a cluster of buildings. She walked through door after door, Rukia following silently behind. Finally she opened the last door, leading into a room that look like a lab, but on a smaller scale. Rukia expected Nemu to stay and say that she was looking fir him but instead she left, closing the door silently behind her. Rukia looked around, the place seemed completely empty. Had Nemu taken her to the wrong place?

"May I help you Miss Kuchiki?"

Rukia quickly turned around to see Mayuri facing her, he was setting in a big leather computer chair. She was more than a little surprised, having a loss for words. She didn't think she could handle being in a room alone with Mayuri, she had been right. She felt more unsettled now more than anything, why did Nemu have to leave? She started fidgeting with the obi that held together her

shihakushoo.

"Miss. Kuchiki? If you have nothing to say then leave, your wasting my time."

Rukia jumped, she instantly regained her composure, putting her hands back at her side. She put on her emotionless mask and bravely locked eyes with Mayuri. She cleared her throat and took a few steps forwards.

"Captain Ukitake sent me to retrieve file: A5673."

"Ah, and why did he not come down here himself?"

"His illness has driven him to stay in bed, so he sent me in his place."

"Miss. Kuchiki, you should know vary well that I can only give files to captains or lieutenants."

"You know the 13th. Division doesn't have a lieutenant." a little sign of sadness cracked through her stone mask.

"Then your captain should of come, despite his condition. He knows fully well that I would not give you the files. He has just wasted your time, and more importantly, mine. Now please leave, you know what to tell your captain." Mayuri turned back to his desk.

"But Captain, he said that the file he wanted wasn't a big deal."

"No, Miss. Kuchiki," Mayuri cut her off in a harsh voice, " your captain cant seem to understand that I wont bend the rules for him. Furthermore, even if your captain came down here," Mayuri looked through a stack of papers, "he has not gone through the proper channels, so I could not give him the files. Now please leave, Miss. Kuchiki, and tell your fool of a captain to do things the correct way."

Rukia's stone mask crumbled into a million pieces, her face flared as she stormed out of the room. She managed to calmly slide the door shut, not wanting Mayuri to know that he had gotten to her so easily. Once she was sure she was out of earshot she started to rant.

"That stupid man! Kisuke should of let him rot in that cell!"

Rukia continued ranting while she made her way back to Ukitake's quarters.

Rukia, yet again, walk through the maze of Soul Society until she found her way back to familiar grounds. From there she quickly made her way back to her captain. She quietly knocked on the door to Ukitake room. Their was no reply, worried she knocked again, this time a little more audible. A few more seconds on silence and she slightly slid the door open.

"Captain?"

A white sheet rose up from a bed and slid to the floor, unveiling a sickly looking Ukitake. He yawned deeply and ran his fingers through his long white hair, pushing it out of his eyes. He shifted his weight, attempting to get up, but failed when he let out ragged cough. He ultimately settled back down on his bed and looked up at the flushed Rukia.

"I'm sorry Rukia, were you waiting long?"

"No, captain."

"So, did you manage to get the files from Mayuri?"

"No, he said you didn't go through 'the proper channels,' captain."

Ukitake sighed in frustration, "I'm sorry, Rukia. I knew he wouldn't give you the file. I guess I was just hoping that he would be a better mood than usual, or something."

"Captain, if you knew you shouldn't of sent me down there... I felt like a complete fool." Rukia cast her gaze down to floor as she thought about what Mayuri had said to her.

Ukitake dragged himself off his bed, slightly wobbling as he stood, " I'll go make a file claim, I'll also tell Captain Kurotsuchi that you were just following my orders."

Ukitake walked past Rukia who said nothing, leaving her standing alone in the room. Rukia stood silent for a few moments then turned around and slid the door open, walking the in opposite direction of Ukitake. For some reason she just wanted to home and do nothing, luckily enough her day was over. Rukia was making her way back to her living quarters when she heard someone calling her name.

"Rukia, hey Rukia! Wait a minute!" it was Rangiku.

"What is it?" Rukia stopped in her tracks, looking curiously at her.

"I'm getting together with some of the guys to have a drink, do you want to come, Renji will there." Rangiku giggled as she nudged Rukia.

"No thanks, I'm really tired." said Rukia with a slight blush.

"Your so boring Rukia. You have to come next time, Kay?"

"Sure, Rangiku."

"Oh, and you know, Renji misses you. Ever since you where put in squad 13 you two haven't seen much of each other."

"Yeah, I know. We've both been really busy... So I'll make sure to go with you next time." Rukia smiled at Rangiku.

"Okay, see you soon!" Rangiku happily walked away from her.

Rukia reached her quarters and slid open the door, she closed the door behind her and locked it. She went to her and laid down on her bed, drifting off into a slumber.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch. 2

xXx the next day xXx

Rukia sat on a bench, eating her lunch. She sighed deeply, hoping that she wouldn't have to do much today, but of course she knew that wasn't going to happen. A light wind blew through the Soul Society, flower pedals dancing at her feet. All time seemed to stop as she watched the pedals float through the warm summer air. She stared blankly until a sickly voice brought her back from her daydreams.

"Rukia, I need you to do something for me." Rukia instantly stood at the sound of her captains' voice.

"What is it, captain?"

"I know your not going to want to, but almost everyone else is busy with some very important things, and I have something to attend to as well, " Ukitake paused and sighed, twisting a folder that was in his hands, " I need you to take this file to Captain Kurotsuchi. You probably wont even see him, just leave it on his desk." Ukitake looked at Rukia hopefully.

"Of course, captain, it's not a big deal." Rukia was lying through her teeth.

Rukia took the file from her captain and walked away from him. As she walked she tried to convince herself what she said to her captain was true. It really wasn't a big deal, but she still would of proffered to not see him again, especially so soon. She tried focusing on the road in front of her, not wanting to get lost again. It did take her a while to arrive at her destination, made even longer without Nemu, but she did manage to get there.

She slowly and silently opened the same door she had entered yesterday. She looked around, she had to strain her eyes to see, the room was pitch black. She quickly went in and closed the door behind her, not wanting anyone to see her, she cared for the 12th. Division members much less than their captain. She placed her outstretched hand on the wall beside her, fumbling around for a light switch. She finally found it and pushed it up, a flood of light filling the room. She quickly walked to the large, red wood desk and placed the file gently on it. She started fumbling with her obi again, it clearly being a bad habit, and looked at the scattered papers that laid upon it. She took a step back, ready to leave, when a large hand placed a painful grip on her shoulder. She jerked around and stumbled back, landing slightly on the desk behind her.

"Miss. Kuchiki, what do you think you're doing here, intruding in my work place?"

Rukia's voice caught in her throat as she saw Mayuri standing a few feet away from her. His voice was full of malice, she had clearly crossed the line with sneaking into this room. She stumbled off the desk and helplessly looked at him, still unable to say anything. She searched her mind for an answer, forgetting why she was even there in the first place. Mayuri's eyes locked onto hers, making her panic even more. After a few more seconds of silence passed she was finally able to breath out a few clumsy words.

"C-captain, I was just-just, a f-file."

She placed her hand on the file, unable to stop her hand from shaking. Mayuri's eyes left hers, traveling down her arm to where her hand was placed. His eyes went back to hers, giving her a questioning look.

Even though she had tried to return the file the right way, it hadn't worked, "I went up to the main office, but they said their had been some kind of mess up and they couldn't take the file at the moment. They told me to just leave in here." Her hand left the file and she started fidgeting with her obi again.

"Did they?" Mayuri's eyes burned into hers even more as he took a few steps closer, leaving a small gap between them.

Rukia tired to back up, but she was already pressed firmly against the desk, "Yes, but when I arrived no one was here, so I was going to just leave it on your desk." Rukia's voice slowed trough her sentence as Mayuri continued to stare at her.

"Your captain seems to enjoy sending you down here at the wrong time, doesn't he?"

Rukia tore her gaze from his eyes and looked down to the floor, "I suppose so." her voice was so low that only someone as close as Mayuri could hear her.

She was staring at the floor with such intensity that she didn't notice anything else around her. She didn't know what to do, their was a long silence that only made her feel more uneasy. Rukia's head snapped back up when she felt Mayuri's hand brush past her arm. Mayuri was looking at the file that he was picking up, but he put his attention back on Rukia when her head snapped up. Rukia's eyes slightly widened as she noticed just how close to her he now was.

"Is something wrong, Miss. Kuchiki?"

Rukia felt her stomach turn as she saw Mayuri's insane smile through his mask. His mask. Even though she had never cared much for this captain she always wondered what he really looked like. Her curiosity got the better of her, she wanted to see. She had no control over her body, and her hand slightly twitched. Of course, Mayuri's trained eyes caught the small movement. He instantly drew back, as if he knew that she wanted to do. Rukia panicked, she didn't think he would notice something so small.

"Um... I'm going to... you have the-the thing." Rukia looked away from him and walked past him and out the door quickly.

_just want to say thanks to everyone that's reading this, I was worried that no one would read it. XD_


	3. Chapter 3

_I have put ch. 1 and 2 together, so this one is ch. 3. _

Ch. 3

xXx Mayuri xXx

For the first time in many years Mayuri was surprised. Surprised by the fact that Rukia had wanted to take off his mask, and that he noticed from just a simple twitch of her hand. Still, he wasn't too sure how he knew what her intentions were, but something in her eyes told him. As he watched her run past him he made a rash decision, he wasn't going to let her leave.

xXx Rukia xXx

Rukia had one foot out of the door when Mayuri grabbed the back of obi and pulled her back into the room. Her eyes widened as she saw Mayuri's hand sliding the door shut. Rukia froze, Mayuri was standing directly behind her, even closer than he had been before. She took in a raged breath and tried to act as if nothing was wrong, even though their was nothing right about this situation. Her heart was racing in her chest, beating against her eardrums. She was sure that Mayuri could hear it as well, which only made it beat faster and harder. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't bring herself to move. Mayuri's hand that held her obi snaked its way around her waist, pulling her into his larger frame. Rukia's heart skipped a beat and she started to involuntarily shake.

"What's wrong, Miss. Kuchiki?"

xXx Mayuri xXx

Mayuri's mind was spinning, what was he doing? He looked down at the young girl that was shaking terribly in his grip. He mentally scolded himself for acting on such a unwise impulse, he now had no idea what to now do. He gripped a handful of cloth from Rukia's top out of frustration, which caused her stiffen. This action didn't escape his notice either, his smile grew slightly wider. He rested his check on the side of her head, deciding to take advantage of this situation. He took in her sent, pulling her closer against his body. He heard Rukia's gasp and let out a slight chuckle.

"Are you feeling well, you did not answer my question." he sneered into her ear as he wrapped his arm tighter around her waist.

"C-captain, what are you...?"

"What do you think, Miss Kuchiki? Do you really need to ask such an unnecessary question?"

"Captain, please... you cant... please let go, captain."

"... I don't think I will, I don't think I'll let you see either."

"See what?" Rukia was so nerve wracked that even as close as Mayuri was, he could barely hear her.

"What's under my mask, my dear, and don't mumble when you speak to me."

"I-I don't know..."

"I said not to mumble, do you understand?" Mayuri pressed his lips against her ears and spoke in a sneering voice again.

"Yes, captain." this time Rukia spoke clearly and audibly.

"Good girl."

Mayuri removed his hand from the door and ran his fingers through her hair. He moved his hand across her stomach in circular motion. As soon as he did it he instantly stopped, deciding this was a bad idea. He moved his hand back to the door and slid it open. He unwrapped his arm from around her waist and took a small step back.

"Leave... Now, before I change my mind."

xXx Rukia xXx

Rukia stumbled out the door, the next thing she heard being the slam of the door behind her. Rukia walked in daze away from the room, her heart still rapidly beating in her ears. Tears threatened to stream out of her eyes, she couldn't believe what had happened. She grew more and more upset as the seconds passed, not so much of the fact that he did that, but that she had liked it. She was scared half to death, but that wasn't the only reason why she couldn't move. She had been walking for awhile when the tears thinly spilled from her eyes. She closed her eyes and whipped the tears away, then she felt someone land in front of her.

"Hey, what's wrong, are you okay?" Rukia opened her eyes to see the worried face of Rangiku looking down at her.

"Its nothing..." more tears ran down her face.

"No! Some things wrong... this is the perfect time for us to go drinking, and you can tell me all about it!" Rangiku smiled down at her, completely oblivious to what had happened.

"I don't know.."

"You promised me yesterday, no excuses. Oh, but Renji wont be there... It'll just our girls night out!" Rangiku looked happier than ever, Rukia didn't have the heart to tell her no again.

"Okay..."

"Great! I'll come by your house later!" Rangiku happily hopped away, leaving Rukia standing all alone.

xXx Mayuri xXx

Mayuri sat in front of his desk, slumped in his chair. He replayed the images of what had happened in his mind over and over again. He couldn't believe he had let her go, what if she tells Byakuya of what happened, that would certainly cause a great deal of trouble. He could always say that she was lying, but Byakuya may take Rukia's side, in which case he would most defiantly lose. His only hope is that she's too embarrassed to admit it to anyone. He mentally scolded himself again for letting her go, it wasn't as if she could of done anything to stop him. Mayuri needed some air, he needed to clear his head.

xXx Rukia xXx (later that day)

Rangiku had arrived a little earlier than Rukia had hoped, but then again Rangiku would drink at just about anytime of the day. Rukia walked silently behind Rangiku as she cheerfully talked and talked and talked. Rukia was lost in her head, still thinking about what had happened and if she should tell anyone, she was brought back to reality from her thoughts when she walked into Rangiku.

"Hey, what's wrong, you still seem upset."

"Oh, no I'm fine Rangiku, really." Rukia forced a small laugh and a smile.

Once they arrived at their destination Rangiku ordered them some drinks and looked at Rukia with concerned look on her face. After a few moments of silence Rangiku just had to know what was wrong with her.

"Are you sure theirs nothing wrong, nothing you want to talk about. Were friends aren't we, you should be able to tell me anything."

Rukia bit her lip, she wanted to tell her. She wanted to tell someone, anyone. She just couldn't find the courage to tell her, what if she didn't believe her. She had tell her something though, she knew something was wrong.

"I, um, I just really," she paused for a few seconds, trying to think of a good lie, "I just really miss... Renji." she looked up at Rangiku, hoping she would believe her.

"Oh, that's all? Well, theirs always a small chance that he'll stop by here tonight." Rangiku plastered a smile on her face, "well, now that we got that out of the way, we can have some fun!"

xXx Mayuri xXx

Mayuri walked down the streets of Soul Society. People gave him weird looks, not used to seeing him outside of his lab. He stopped in his tracks, seeing Rukia and Rangiku walking out of a building. His eyes narrowed as he heard Renji's voice and saw him running towards the two girls. He wrapped his arms around both of the girls shoulders and they went back inside the building. Mayuri turned around and started making his way back to his lab. He cursed under his breath, as things were now he had no control over Rukia, he would have to fix that.


	4. Chapter 4

Ch. 4

.:The Next Day:.

Rukia quickly walked to her captains quarters, she had been told that Ukitake needed to see her right away. It was a cold and cloudy day, the gray clouds threatened to release the rain at any moment. The gloomy weather gave her an uneasy feeling. She couldn't shake off the unbearable pressure that was pilled on her chest, making every heart beat painfully noticeable. The breath taking pressure had been there ever since Rangiku had asked her what was wrong. She felt guilty, even though she knew what had happened wasn't her fault. She soon reached the double sliding doors of Ukitake's quarters and firmly knocked on it, without waiting for a response from her captain she pulled the doors apart and took a half step inside.

"You wanted to see me, captain?"

"Yes, Rukia, please come in."

Rukia walked the rest of the way in and slid the doors shut behind her. The uneasy feeling she had grew more vigorous, Ukitake's voice sounded stained and he was pacing back and forth in small circles. He looked extremely upset and he was clenching and piece of parchment paper in his hands. She continued to walk deeper into the room, until she was standing a few feet away from her captain. Rukia waited for Ukitake to say something, but it looked as though he hadn't even noticed that she had entered the room.

"Captain, what is it you wanted to see me about?"

Ukitake's head snapped up to look at Rukia, "I have some bad news, I've done everything I could to fix it... but I don't think theirs anything else I can do."

"Fix what?" Rukia's heart started to beat against her chest as she looked at her distraught captain.

"You've been reassigned, to a different squad" Ukitake indicated to the paper in his hand.

"What do you mean, Shinigami can't just be reassigned, can they...? and to whose squad?"

"Normally they can't, but if theirs a good enough reason; like a squad being short of members... then yes, they can."

Again, Rukia waited for Ukitake to continue, but he didn't, "to whose squad?"

"To the 12th. Division..."

Rukia let out a soft gasp, "why would Yamamoto let him have more Shinigami, everyone knows what happened to old ones..."

"Well, the old ones have to be replaced, it's as simple as that... but I can't understand why he would pick you."

Rukia started to panic, "Can't you do anything...? I want to stay in this division!"

"I asked Yamamoto to reason with him, but he insist on having you transferred."

"Well... can't you try once more, please captain!" her eyes filled with fear, unnoticed by Ukitake.

"I'm sorry Rukia, theirs nothing more I can do about it... I'm not your captain anymore...you'll be given your new uniform tomorrow."

Ukitake motioned her towards the door, avoiding any eye contact with her. Rukia's eyes squinted, trying to keep the tears locked in her eyes. She slowly moved her heavy legs to the door, each step becoming more and more difficult. A war raged on in Rukia's mind as the gap between her and the door became smaller and smaller. She needed to tell him, she couldn't let this happen. If she was really going to be transferred, anything could happen to her. She just couldn't stand the thought of telling anyone. Besides, people might take Mayuri's word over Ukitake's and her own... She could tell Byakuya, but that would be the last person she would ever want to tell. His silent stare would make it seem as if he didn't believe her, even if he did. No, she couldn't tell anyone, she couldn't stand for people to know. The fact that it was Mayuri was enough to make her never want to talk about it.

Before she even noticed it she had already walked out of the room, Ukitake closing the door behind her. Rukia forced her legs to break into a run, she wanted to get home before the tears escaped her eyes. Luckily enough she lived close by, so it didn't take her long to reach her quarters. She was successful in not running into anyone she knew, but she did receive a few strange looks from random Shinigami. She stopped, out of breath, in front of the door to her own 'little house.' She jerked open the door and stumbled inside. Quickly, she closed the door and slide down it, onto the floor. She rested her head against the door as the tears stained her cheeks. No matter what she was doing, she spent the rest of the day whimpering until she fell asleep.

.: The Next Day :. haha, I know, major time skip XD

Rukia stretched out on her bed as she heard faint knocks on her door. Sighing and crawling out bed she stumbled out of her bedroom, continuing to the door. When she opened the door she was surprised to see who it was, Nemu. She stared at her blankly and soon noticed that it was still fairly dark outside.

"What are you doing here, Nemu?"

"I'm here to help you move out, it would be best if you lived with the rest of the division. I also have your new Shinigami uniform. I'm sorry this has to be so early, I tried to come by yesterday but Captain Ukitake told me not to bother you."

Rukia slightly blushed and moved aside to Nemu in. Once Rukia changed into her squad 12 uniform she went back to her bedroom to gather her personal belongings. Nemu lead the way to her new place and showed her where everything was, she didn't want her getting lost everyday. Rukia tried talking to Nemu a few times on the way their, but she never said much in response. She wanted to have at least one friend in her new division, but she wasn't doing so well. Rukia's new room exactly like her old one, not a single difference. Still, she knew it wasn't the same.

"Rukia, I live a few rooms over, if you ever need to ask me about something," Nemu cut Rukia off before she could say anything, "but right now you need to come with me. Captain Kurotsuchi wishes to speak to all of the transferred Shinigami. Follow me, please."

Rukia trailed behind Nemu, trying to stay calm. What could he possible do to her in front of all the other Shinigami. She just had to leave with everyone else and stay hidden from his view. Maybe if she could disappear into the crowd, she wouldn't be left alone with him. She was brought back from her thoughts when Nemu lead her into a room.

"Line up with the other Shinigami, Ms. Kuchiki."

Rukia nodded and walked to the end of the line, placing herself beside a large, gruesome man. She looked down the line; they all either resembled that of the first man, or tall and skinny but they where all men. She would be able to disappear behind them with ease, but she would stand out because she was the only girl. The door of the side opposite from where she entered opened, and Mayuri came out of it. Crossing her arms around her small frame she looked away from him, fixing her eyes on the wooden floor

"All of you are probably wondering why you have been brought over to my division; the answer is vary simple, I'm am short on squad members and I need to fill in the gaps... I do thing differently than the other 12 captains, as you will all soon find out."

Rukia looked down the line of Shinigami, feeling sorry for them. These men aren't replacing the regular Shinigami, they are replacing failed experiments. All of theses men are just lab rats to Mayuri. At best, they would survive a few weeks. By "I do things differently," he means, I'll do whatever I want and you won't have a say in the matter. That must be why Ukitake was so upset, he thought she was going to be just another "lab rat." when Rukia drew her attention back to her new captain his speech was already over, and everyone was starting to leave. Rukia panicked and darted towards a crowd of large men to hid behind. Unfortunately, she couldn't keep up with the men and got left behind, but she was close enough to the door to slip out unnoticed. When Rukia stepped out side the door a look of dismay crossed her face. She wasn't paying attention when Nemu brought her here. She tried desperately to remember which way to go, but she couldn't come up with anything. She would have to go back inside and ask Nemu to take her back. Rukia peeked through the door, Nemu was still standing with Mayuri, and it didn't look like he was going to leave any time soon. She stepped into the room, half her body still hidden behind the door.

"Umm, Nemu, could you take me back to my room, I can't remember how to get there."

Nemu looked away from her captain, "of course, Ms. Kuchiki, I'll be out in a few minutes."

With that Rukia disappeared behind the door as quickly as possible. She leaned against the wall beside the door and waited. Soon, Nemu came out and motioned for Rukia to follow her. She made sure to pay attention to her surroundings this time. After a few minutes of walking, and a few vain attempts to start a conversation with Nemu, they arrived at her room.

"Get some rest, Ms. Kuchiki, your first day of official work starts tomorrow."

"I will... Um, you can call me Rukia, you don't have to call me Ms. Kuchiki... oh, and what kind of work will I be doing?"

"I will come by tomorrow morning, you will receive your assignment then. Goodbye, Ms. Kuchiki."

Rukia sighed as Nemu walked away from her, it looked as if she wasn't going to make a friend out of her. Her stomach turned at the thought of Mayuri talking to her, how was she suppose to rest now? She hadn't given much thought to what she would do if she was trapped in a room with him. Unfortunately, she would most likely freeze again, which wouldn't be such a good thing.

xXx Mayuri xXx

Mayuri walked into the room filled with the newly transferred Shinigami, everyone fell silent as he walked across the room. His yellow eyes glided down the line of Shinigami, finally resting on Rukia, who was at the very end. He smirked at the sight of her, head down and arms folded across her chest. He thought it was hilariously cute, the way she kept her head down throughout his entire speech. His smirk grew wider as he watch her try to frantically hide from him, she thought she was avoiding his gaze, but he never once took his eyes off of her. Once the Shinigami, as well as Rukia, had left he called for Nemu. Before he had the chance to get a word out Rukia peeked in from outside, asking for Nemu to take her back. He gave Nemu a look that said he had something to say to her first. Once Rukia had left again he continued with what he was going to say.

"Nemu, I want you to keep a close watch on Rukia."

"Kuchiki Rukia?"

"Yes, don't let her go to far off, make sure to stay close to her."

"I understand."

He was lucky that Nemu did what ever he said without any questioning at all, he had worked long and hard to make sure she did. He decided that he wouldn't confront Rukia until tomorrow, now that she was a part of his division he could take all the time he needed to with her. As he walked back to his lab he smirked at how easy it was to convince Yamamoto to have Rukia transferred. All he said was that she would be better off in another division, claiming that Ukitake sent on pointless errands after pointless errands. He also said that she wasn't going to make any progress in Ukitake's division, her talents being squandered.

_Woot, woot! Finally updated! Sorry it took so long, school just started back. I'll have the next Strawberry Love chapter up soon, I promise. ' Long enough, to short, better than last time? I know theirs a lot of hate in it right now, but it will turn into a romance. _


	5. Chapter 5

Ch. 5

Rukia leaned against the frame of the door, even though she didn't want to chance running into any of the squads' members, she didn't want to stay here. Maybe she could find her way to Yamamoto, if she could speak with him, maybe she could persuade him to move her back to Ukitakes' division. She slid open the door and silently slipped out, tiptoeing through the walkway, hoping to go unnoticed. Unfortunately, it didn't go as she had hoped. When she turned the next corner, she practically ran into Nemu.

"Where do you think you are going, Kuchiki?"

"Um, I was just going for a walk." She gave an innocent smile.

"I'm afraid you can't go anywhere. Now, please go back to your quarters."

Rukia retreated into the deep corners of her mind, Nemu's statement sounded as if it had been rehearsed. She wasn't dumb, she knew what this meant. Despite the fact that Nemu said she was busy, she was still very close by. Rukia's guess was that she was still here to keep an eye on her, to make sure she didn't go crying to Yamamoto; which is what she was going to do. She felt defeated, but she wasn't going to let Mayuri win.

"But, it's such a nice day, don't you think so, Nemu."

"Please Ms. Kuchiki, I will not ask you again."

"What, so Mayuri told you babysit me?!" her sweet voice was now gone, replaced by one of spite and fear.

"Captain Kurotsuchi."

"What?" Nemu's statement took her by surprise.

"It is Captain Kurotsuchi to you, not Mayuri." their was a slight tone of anger in her voice, surprising her even more.

Rukia frowned and turned away from her. To her annoyance, Nemu followed around the corner to make sure she went back to her room. She angrily jerked open the door and slammed it behind her, she walked to the center of the room and went down to the floor with a thump. Falling back to the floor she focused, she could still sense Nemu's presence close by, she wouldn't be able to sneak her way around her. She rolled over to her side with a grumble, what was she suppose to do now?

She thought again about her encounter with Mayuri, how could he have the audacity to do what he did? She remembered how he had touched her, the knot in he stomach came back. She clinched her hair in her fists and curled up into a ball. The thought of him alone was now enough to make her sick. She so desperately wanted to leave this place, this was like a horrible nightmare, the sad part being that the nightmare had barely began. She knew that whatever happened tomorrow, she had to keep calm.

.: The Next Day :.

"_Rukia, Rukia, come on!"_

_When Rukia opened her eyes, she expected to see Nemu, coming to drag her out bed, instead she saw Renji. Surprised, she frantically looked around, seeing nothing but darkness surrounding Renji and herself. He was speaking to her, but she couldn't hear anything of what he was saying. He held her hand, dragging her along with him, through a never ending black tunnel. Desperately, she tried to hear what he was saying, she did hear something, but it wasn't Renji's voice. It was a light sound, that grew more audible as the seconds passed. Seconds, they seemed to take years, sending a pulsation of for boarding through her body. The sound was rain, but she could not see or feel it. The rain became steady in constant, but the pace at which Renji and she moved was mind numbing slow. _

"_Renji, what's going on, Renji!?"_

_His lips moved but no sound came out. She pulled at his hand desperately, trying to make him stop, to no prevail. Her chest became heavy from the running, and her vision blurred from the tears. The tall redhead in front of her came to an abrupt stop, as she looked up at her friend the sense of for boarding turned to that of panic. Slender streams of crimson red flowed from Renji's head. When she reached out to touch him, he fell to the ground, no, he didn't fall to the ground, he sank into it. She tried to hold onto his hand, but he was ripped away from her, she watched in terror as Renji disappeared. She fell to her knees, her tears following as she beat on the ground where her friend stood; so hard that they became bruised and bloody. She was scared and confused, not having any idea what was going on. Through her sobs she heard something, or someone, in the distance. She forced herself to stop crying, staining her ears. It was a laugh, a cynical laugh; her heart skipped a beat, it sounded like Mayuri. The panic that hunted her became more intense; her heart beat rapidly and she shook violently. After she regained some sense of composure, she realized that the laughter had subsided. She took in a deep breath and cautiously rose to her feet, with fright almost completely immobilizing her. A painful grip was placed on her shoulder, she was quickly spun around but she slammed her eyes shut, not wanting to see anymore. _

Rukia shoot up from her bed, tears staining her checks. She climbed out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom. She turned on the sink and splashed water on her face, rubbing her bloodshot eyes. As she dried her face, she heard a knock on her door. She walked to the door slowly, just wanting to go back to her real home. She opened the door, seeing Nemu waiting for her.

"Morning, Nemu." She spoke in a low mumble.

"Hello, Ms. Kuchiki," she took no noticed to how distraught Rukia appeared, "please come with me."

She didn't even bother with trying to smile, she just silently followed Nemu. She was lead through corridor after corridor, door through door. She wasn't sure how long they had been walking, but it seemed like an eternity. The room they entered looked like a lab, probably one of the many that Mayuri had. Nemu and Mayuri had started talking, but just like her dream, she didn't hear anything of it. When she looked beside her Nemu was gone, frantically, she looked for her, spinning around in a circle.

"Are you looking for something, Rukia?"

She turned to see Mayuri standing on the other side of the room. She withdrew a few steps, not being able to believe that Nemu had just left her. Her hands instantly went to her obi, twisting them with her fingers. She grimaced, she hated how he said her name, so causally, it made her sick. She tried to act confident, not wanting Mayuri to know how afraid she was.

"N– no, I just. . .ah . . . Nemu left?"

"Hmm. You shouldn't stutter when you speak."

". . . I apologize."

"You're an odd one, aren't you . . . ? Why are you still standing over there? Come in, Rukia"

"Why have you called me down here, captain?" Even though she knew the answer, she asked anyway.

"Eh, you talk too much, Rukia."

"What? But, captain, I've barely said anything." Rukia looked seriously confused.

"Stop your whining and come over here."

She nervously made her way across the room, coming to a stop at least ten feet away from Mayuri. When he didn't say anything, she let her eyes wander around the lab. The room was very large, and unusually dark; it gave the room a Frankenstein feeling. Along the walls, bookshelves and countless computers and other machines stood, towering to the ceiling. Her head snapped back to Mayuri when she heard him move. She was going to back away but then she noticed he was holding a box of files in his hands.

"Take these and put them in that filling cabinet. . ." he did nothing but smile wickedly at her.

She screeched out her arms, managing to keep them from shaking, and took to box from him quickly. She had no idea what to think about this, filling? Not that she was complaining, but this only made her more worried. Just as quickly as she had taken the box from Mayuri, she walked away from him. As she stored the files, she thought of all the lives that Mayuri had forever ruined with his experiments, how many people he had so nonchalantly killed. She felt pity for all of them, no matter who they might have been. Going back to her original thoughts, she wondered what Mayuri was doing, this didn't make any sense.

xXx Mayuri xXx

Mayuri watched in amusement as Rukia passively put away the files. He smirked at how bewildered she was; she knew what was coming today, but that didn't happen. Their was no harm in teasing her just a little, along with him not having to do the work himself. It would be amusing if she let her guard down; it would be very interesting if she came to him, even thought that possibility was unlikely, for now. Once Mayuri had finished with the paperwork he was doing he went over to Rukia and stood directly behind her.

"Rukia."

xXx Rukia xXx

She jumped and spun around at the sound of her name, stumbling back into the filling cabinet, realizing how close Mayuri was. She averted her eyes away from him, knowing she wouldn't be able to hide the glimmer of worry that swam in them. Before she had a chance to respond, he pressed his body against hers, painfully pinning her to the cabinet. She gasped, but it went unnoticed because her face was buried in his chest. She twisted and turned under his grip as his hands gently moved up and down her sides. She flinched at the cold feeling of his mask on her skin, which was pressed against her neck. As a deep blush covered her face, she closed her eyes, ultimately giving up on trying to get away. She placed her hands on his chest, tightly clinching his captains' robe. A sensation ran through her body, good or bad she didn't now, as his mask lightly rose, his warmer lips pressing against her neck. His soft lips caressed her neck, making her think this was someone else. He wrapped an arm around her waist, trying to pull her closer, though she was as close as she could possible be, only making it hard for her breath. She was surprised and confused, not about what was happening, but that he was being so gentle, despite the fact that his grip was a little tight. She gave in, relaxing into his arms.

The door burst open, and Renji came running in, "Rukia!" He scrawled at the sene and jerked Rukia away, dragging her out of the room, Mayuri did nothing.

"Renji, you're here!?" Her eyes filled with tears as she recounted her horrible nightmare.

"Yeah, I heard what happened, I wasn't going to leave you here. No matter what Yamamoto says. . . and especially after what I just saw. . . you're lucky I came when I did."

_Haha, it only took me over. XD _


	6. Chapter 6

Ch. 6

xXx Renji xXx

Renji was frantically running through the twist and turns squad 11's territory, truthfully, he had never been here before, he would surly get lost. Not as if he was paying much attention to where he was going, his concerns were placed somewhere else. Ukitake had informed him about Rukia, only on the promise that he wouldn't do anything rash, which he was now doing. If Mayuri thought that he was going to take this laying down, that no one would do anything, he was sorely mistaking. Quickly, he dove into a nearby room, a group of Mayuri's _zombies_ were approaching. Once they had passed, he stepped out of the room, trying to pinpoint Rukia. Angrily, he beat his fist against the wall, his mind was so jumbled that he couldn't find her. His lips curved into a smirk as a single squad 11 member came his way. The Soul Reaper didn't even see it coming, Renji threw him against the wall and held a tight grip on his throat.

"What the he- Lieutenant Abari!? What are you doing here!?" The pathetic little Soul Reaper looked up at Renji with fearful eyes.

" Kurotsuchi, where is he!?"

"I-I don't . . . " Renji's grip tightened, "he should be down in the lab, go left down this hallway until you find the huge double doors." The man indicated to the hallway only a few feet away from him.

Renji threw the little worm to the ground and broke off into a run down the hallway. His heart was beating through his chest, what if he arrived too late? How could he stand to live with himself if something happened to her, with him so close? He grabbed the hilt of his sword, with the double doors in sight. As he burst through the entrance his hand fell from his sword. Mayuri had his arms . . . around Rukia! His eyes filled with anger as Mayuri glanced over at him, keeping his arms in place.

"Rukia!"

"Renji, you're here!?"

In an outburst of rage, he flash stepped across the room and grabbed Rukia, tearing her away from the monster. He could have sworn that he felt something prick his arm, but he shrugged it off as nothing. He couldn't find the will at the moment to speak to her, furry rushing through his veins. Rukia was leaning into him, not pulling away. The grip he had on Rukia's hand must have become very tight, she was trying to pull his fingers off. He relaxed his grip some and looked the complete opposite way of Rukia.

"Yeah, I heard what happened, I wasn't going to leave you here. No matter what Ukitake says . . . and especially after what I just saw . . . you're lucky I came when I did." He kept his voice calm and collected.

"Renji, I . . . "

"What was that!?" His voice exploded in rage.

"What . . . ?" He eyes widened in shock, Renji never yells at her.

"Why was he- why didn't you!? He had his arms snaked around you!" He avoided her eyes at all coasts.

"Renji, it isn't what you think. I couldn't get away!"

"Well, it didn't even look like you were attempting to get away!"

"Renji, your acting crazy!"

As soon as she spoke those words he fell to the floor, coughing up blood. He clinched at his chest as his breathing became ragged. Rukia dropped to her knees, clinging onto him. He looked up at her, unable to hear her, his vision getting blurry, until there was nothing left.

xXx Mayuri xXx

Mayuri watched with an amused smirk as Rukia was ripped out of his arms by Renji. Discreetly, he had syringed a violet toxin into his arm, Renji being in so much of a rant that somehow he didn't even notice. He laughed manically at Renji's poor attempt of a rescue, he wasn't going to get far. He thought of how blissfully arrogant he must be to do this desperate action, Rukia must know this as well. Although, this incident only made his job easier, after that fools dies Rukia will be become sad; she will be seeking comfort, which he would give. He walked across the room, his footsteps leaving loud echoes in their place. If he was lucky they won't be too far away, most likely, Rukia will try to stop him; she must know that he wouldn't let her get away that easily, or turn a blind eye to what Renji had done. He didn't bother bringing anything to subdue her, she would be too stricken with grief by Renji's death to do anything. His smirk grew wider as he herd Rukia's pleading voice, even wider still when it turned to that of panic. He walked at a slow and steady pace, even if Rukia chose to run away, she would never make it out of this never ending maze. It must be raining harshly, the sound being able to creep all the way down underground like this. He laughed silently to himself as he saw the slumped form of Rukia's body on the ground. Although, he couldn't help but grimace at the sound of her saying Renji's name over and over again. Slowly, he approached her, her sobs ceasing as his echoing footsteps reached her. He watched her every movement as she rose from the ground, shaking violently.

Taking long, echoing steps, he approached her. Silently, he watched her as she froze in her place; she must have heard his soft steeps through her sobs. He takes note to every little detail; how, with every step he takes, she becomes more stiff and her breathing jagged. Even though it embarrassed him to admit it, with every step he took, the more clearly he could hear his own heart beats pounding against his chest. He didn't like what he was feeling, even worse, he was completely oblivious to what it was. This feeling never left him in peace, it away made him want her in a way he didn't understand. To add onto it, it constantly distracted him from his so very important work. When he got back from his thoughts, he was standing directly behind Rukia. Quickly, he grabbed Rukia's shoulder, more roughly than he had intended. He felt her try to pull away, so he spun her around only to see her eyes tightly closed with tears still finding their way through the crevices. For some reason this sight sickened him, that "feeling" was now tugging at his cold heart. Without realizing it his grip on her shoulder became so tight that it caused Rukia to cry out in pain. He released his grip and let his hand fall back to her side, and he wasn't able to keep his smile plastered on his face. He watched as she fell back down to the floor, unable to conceal her desperate tears any longer.

"I suggest, Rukia, that you discourage any more of this nonsense among your friends. You will tell, whomever, that you came here of your own accord, and that you are happy here. You wouldn't want something like this to happen again would you?" He spoke with forced malice. He signaled to two Soul Reapers to take Renji's carcass away. He walked away from Rukia, any idea of what he was going to do to with her had now abandoned him.

xXx Rukia xXx

She watched in confusion as Mayuri walked away from her, though she wasn't about to stop him. As she turned around to look a Renji her sobs softened, his body wasn't there for her to see. She became silent as she recounted her nightmare, it had been a warning. Even though there was blood in her dream and not here, it had been very accurate. But the rain. . . no, she heard the rain now, coming down as harshly as her tears had. She could not believe that her childhood friend had just been killed, what would she do now? Before, this had only concerned her, but now someone was dead because of it. She knew the only way for people to know the truth was for her to say it. Surely, she could speak up now, she couldn't possible let Mayuri get away with this.

"Ms. Kuchiki."

She looked up to see Nemu standing in front of her, with an outstretched hand. Also, maybe, a hint of pity in her usually dull and empty eyes. Reluctantly, she took her hand, unable to stand up on her own.

"Come, I think you need some rest... maybe so time to yourself."

Was she mistaking this as kindness? Perhaps she could be friends with her yet. Wait, what was she thinking, she wasn't going to be here long enough for it to matter. They walked in silence, with Rukia slightly lagging behind. When they reached her room, she tried to go inside without hearing anything from Nemu, but she wasn't that lucky.

"I highly discourage anything you are plaining to do."

She looked up at her with a blank expression, "I don't now what you're talking about."

". . . I'm not saying this for Mayuri, it's for your own safety; if you betray him it will not end happily for you. You would be lucky if he was generous enough to just kill you quickly.

"I'm not planing anything." She looked away from her, trying to retreat further into her room.

"For your sake, I hope that you are telling me the truth."

With that Nemu walked away from her. She closed the door and went into her bedroom, ignoring the low rumble from her stomach. She laid down on her bed and looked up at the ceiling for what must have been hours.

xXx later that day xXx

"Rukia, knock, knock Rukia, you in there?"

She opened the door only to be greeted by a smile Rangiku. She still looked horrible, her face was red and her hair was a mess. The smile on Rangiku's face turned to a frown, her happy expression to that of concern.

"Rukia, what's wrong?"

"N-nothing, I just had a b-bad day. . ." Her voice was cracking, tears clouding her vision.

"Oh, Rukia." She wrapped her arms around her friend as Rukia started crying heavily again, "It's okay. So what, you had a bad first day? It'll get better... What happened?"

Her heart skipped a beat as she said those words. She tried to convince her friend that nothing was wrong, but she wouldn't believe it. She knew something was horrible wrong, so she decided to drag her to Byakuya, hoping he would make her tell.


	7. Chapter 7

Ch. 7

"Rangiku, it's nothing, really." She tried to pull away from her, but she was simply too weak.

"How many times are you going to sing that song Rukia? Something is clearly wrong, and it's not as simple as you having a bad day. If something is wrong then Captain Kuchiki will definitely drag it out of you."

"Are you seriously going to tell my brother on me?" She looked at her in disbelief, "he has better things to do than this, you're just going to waste his time."

"Why would you think that? Nothing should be more important than his little sister!" She said this in a singsong voice, along with a hint of sarcasm.

"This isn't serious enough to bring to him, Rangiku."

"Well, I think it is. I think Captain Kuchiki will too."

"You're just going to make a fool out of yourself."

She turned to her and smiled, "Anything for you, Rukia!" She said this with even more sarcasm.

Rangiku stopped once they reached Byakuya's palace of a house. Softly, she knocked on the door and dragged Rukia down to the ground in a kneeling position with her, "Captain Byakuya, it is Lieutenant Mat. . . . "

"Rangiku, he's probable not even here."She cut her off, running out of options.

"Come in." Came the cool voice of her older brother.

With that she hung her head in defeat as Rangiku pushed open the door and pulled her back up. Rangiku released her grip on her arm and stepped into the room, Rukia followed after her with a huff. He didn't bother looking up, he just continued doing the work at his desk. Rangiku kneeled back down, but Rukia advanced towards her brother.

"I'm so sorry that Rangiku had wasted your time . . . "

"What has she wasted my time on?" Still, he didn't look up.

"Captain, something is very wrong with Rukia but she won't tell me. I think this is very serious, or I would not be wasting your time with it."

He glanced up at Rukia once, "What is wrong, Rukia?"

Rangiku got to it before Rukia could, "I've seen her crying more than once, with all do respect, I think Rukia should be placed back in Ukitakes division."

"Rukia?"

She thought it would be best to say that she liked it in Mayuri squad, so their wouldn't be a reason for her to be moved. No reason for Mayuri to kill her, or Rangiku, "No, I'm doing fine where I am now, she is just being paranoid."

"Please, Captain, speak with her." She rose from her spot on the ground and left the room after giving a small bow.

Byakuya put down his pen and rose from his chair, and turned to face her, "If I'm not mistaken, Renji went to see you, did he not show?"

"No, he didn't." Surely it was all over now, she was a horrible liar but she tried to make it seem true full, "is he here today?"

Byakuya's expression did not change, but his voice became stern, "No, I don't know where he is. I sent someone to retrieve him, but he was not found."

"Oh. Well, I should go, I have things to do." She was anxious to leave, hopefully he would not detect this.

As she turned to leave he spoke again, "Rukia, is their anything you need to tell me?"

She glanced back at him and smiled, "No, really, I'm fine."

She left the room to see Rangiku smiling at her hopefully, "So, what did you tell the captain?"

She let out a sigh, "Nothing, I told him I was fine and he believed me."

"What!? So much for him . . . "

"Does this mean your giving up?" She couldn't hide the enthusiasm in her voice.

"For now, but I'll come back when I have another plan."

She watched her walk away, then sullenly started back to her place. Once again, to her dismay, she became lost. She wandered around aimlessly as on goers gave her odd looks. Her mood didn't improve as the sky began to grow dark. She let out a great sigh of relief when she spotted Nemu out in the distance.

"Nemu, Nemu!" Nemu turned and walked towards her.

"Miss Rukia, what are you doing here?"

"I was . . . what do you mean, am I not aloud to be outside?"

"I didn't think you would try to leave . . . did you get lost again?"

"Yes, could you show me the way?"

"You are already here." She pointed behind Rukia, directly at her room.

Her face turned red and she let out a small laugh, "Oh, thanks."

"Wait, where did you go?"

"Well," she considered telling her the truth, she didn't do anything wrong, "Rangiku dragged me off to speak to Byakuya, she thought something was wrong. But - I swear - I didn't say anything. Although, he did kinda ask me about Renji, I told him that I hadn't seen him." She took in deep breath, not stopping anywhere in her sentence.

She didn't respond, all she did was nod and walk away. She looked at her warily before advancing to her place. Once inside she went to the sink and splashed cool water on her face, which looked much better now. Her eyes were no longer bloodshot, she only hoped they looked like that when she was speaking with Byakuya. She involuntarily flinched as thunder rumbled through the room. With a dragging walk she wet over to a window and peaked out. The dark sky was crying futile tears of sorrow that danced with wailing winds that held the small house in a tight embrace. She rested her head against the cool paneling and rested for what must have been forever. The silence of the wind and rain was broke by a firm knock on her door.

As she walked to the door she spoke, "Rangiku, go away! I told you, I'm fine!"

When she opened the door, she let out a small gasp and stumbled back a step. Mayuri stood in the doorway with an umbrella at his side, "You are, are you?"

"C-captain, what are you doing here?" She looked up at him with confused eyes.

He pushed passed her and silently closed the door, "Nemu said that you went to see. . . your brother?" He placed his umbrella against the door frame.

She was froze in her spot by fear, "Y-yes, but. . ." She lost the will to speak when she heard Mayuri's soft footsteps approaching her.

He lightly placed his hand on her arm, but keep a distance away from her, "What exactly did you tell him?" He spoke very slowly and softly, trying not to scar her off.

She took in a deep breath as she tried to remember precisely how the conversation had went, "He told me that Renji had come to see me, he asked if he ever showed up. . . I told him I hadn't seen him."

He gave an odd look to the back of her raven head, "That was all that was said?"

"He asked me if I was alright, I said I was fine. . ."

He roughly pulled her against his body, "Well, I hope you didn't say this with the same helplessness that's in your voice right now." He snarled in her ear, his grip tightening on her frail arm.

She winced in pain, and wanted nothing more but to sink into the floor, "No, I didn't, I. . ." Her voice started to break under the pressure.

"Apparently I misjudged how smart you are, I didn't think you would be foolish enough to go crying for help."

"No, Rangiku, she dragged me there. She was worried about me."

"Did she say anything to Kuchiki?"

It took a few moments to find her voice, considering that Mayuri had wrapped his other arm around her waist, glueing her to his chest, "She said. . . That she thought I should be placed back in Ukitakes' division. Though, he didn't reply to it." She spoke very slowly, hoping that it would lessen the seriousness of what Rangiku had suggested.

"She did? Did you say anything about it?"

"I told him that- that I wanted to stay here." Her voice trailed off, she couldn't help but notice what her comment insinuated.

He let out a dark chuckle, "Good girl, I will see you tomorrow, Rukia." With that he left her, still frozen in place.


	8. Chapter 8

Ch.8

xXx The Next Day xXx

Rukia walked down the paved streets, which were unnaturally bare for this time of day. There were usually squad members running around here and there in the early hours of the morning. Still, as she walked and walked, she saw no one, this was beginning to give her an eerie feeling. The sky around her, which was bright and sunny when she left home, was growing darker. From just her few days of working under Mayuri's command, she didn't really know where to go or what to do. To play it safe she decided to go to Mayuri's lab, she was confident that she could find it. After a few minutes of wandering around, she managed to find the lab. She sighed in relief, as soon as she entered the door, the rain started to pour from the sky. She glanced around the dimly lite room, but saw nothing.

"Captain, are you here?"

She waited for a reply, but no such thing came. She frowned, this wasn't the only place he could be, he could be anywhere. Did he really expect her to go looking for him? The frown deepened more, she had no choice but to do just that. With a frustrated sigh she went back out the door, and into the icy rain. She stomped across the watery courtyard in search for somewhere else he might be, the only problem being, she had no idea where to start. Once she was socked to the bone, she gave up, going for the nearest door she saw. She angrily slammed the door shut behind her. The room, or rather the stairway, was poorly lite, but she couldn't care less. Forcibly, she moved her weary body down the passageway, not caring where it ended. The uneasy feeling in her stomach came back; funny, she hadn't been aware that it had gone away. Everything inside her told her to turn around, to run away. Despite the protest of her tired body and mind, she continued. The stairway seemed to get darker and colder as she went, she was down so deep that she could no longer hear the pounding rain above the surface. At least the silence made her body feel a little bit better. It was so dark now that she didn't even see the door in front of her, so she ran face first into it. She pulled back and rubbed her nose, all while sending the door that she couldn't see a death glare. Her body froze when she herd a low shuffling coming from the other side of the invisible door. Cautiously, she pressed her cold body against the wooden barrier and listened for another sound, but nothing came. Slowly, she opened the door with a creak, peeking her head in. It was just like the stairway, too dark to see anything. She slipped through the door and closed it quietly behind her, even though she still felt like slamming it shut.

She took in a ragged breath, "Is anyone in here?" Her voice was so low that she didn't know if had spoken or not.

There was another shuffling sound, she pressed her body back further against the door. After she managed to catch her nerve again, she stepped toward the sound. After a few more steps, there was another sound, and she lost her nerve to move again.

"Hello?"

"Wh-." The voice was dry and horse, so much that it didn't even finish the sentence.

Without thinking, she stumbled through the darkness, trying to find the person that had spoken. She moved very slowly, stepping as if there were clutter all around her, even though there wasn't. Her foot came into contact with something hard, causing her stop. She reached out a shaky hand and it instantly hit what felt like a metal bar. As she searched the area in front of her with her hands, she realized that it had to be a jail cell door. A hand lightly grabbed hers as it rested on the cell door. She gasped lightly but didn't pull away, something inside her told her not to. As she focused, she could hear the light breathing of the person that was on the other side of the door.

"Who's there?"

"Rukia?" The voice was a little more clear this time.

"Re- Renji?"

Her eyes widened in shock and disbelief. She reached out a shaky hand, searching for his face. When she found it, her eyes filled with tears, it was wet with what she could assume was blood. She cupped his checks in both of her hands and pressed her forehead lightly against his.

"Hmm, I never thought you would find this place, Rukia."

Rukia stood and spun around to face the new voice, "Who's the-?" She stopped herself, even though it was too dark to see, she knew it was Mayuri, "what have you done to Renji?"

"What a trivial question, you were there, you know what happened. Did you honestly believe he was dead?" He harshly grabbed her arm and pulled her away from Renji, "you shouldn't be here, Rukia. I don't understand _why_ you are down here, you had to walk at least ten minutes to reach this place." After a few moments of silence he spoke again, "Well, Rukia?"

"What?"

"Why are you down here?" His voice had an edge to it, and he tightened his grip on her arm.

"I was just... It was raining and this was the closest place." Her voice trailed off toward the end, she realized that her reason sounded pathetic.

"Is that so." It wasn't a question, more like a statement.

He started to pull her back the way she had came, and she tried to stay in her place, "I'm not leaving Renji!"

Mayuri turned and, with his other hand, he grabbed her by her hair and pulled her closer to him, "You think you have a say in this?" There was both amusement and anger in his voice.

She instantly remembered whom she was speaking to, "I-I'm sorry, Captain."

"Did I not tell you, I would very much prefer that you call me Mayuri." He released the grip on her hair and smoothed it back into place.

"Ca- Mayuri, please, you can't just leave him down here. Please." Tears were rolling down her face, even though she knew it wouldn't do her any good.

"What would you have me do, kill him? I can't just simply let him go." He let out a small laugh as he looked at Rukia's pleading face.

"K-kill him, no! You-you can't leave him like this though, you just can't!" She slipped down to the floor and continued weeping.

xXx Mayuri xXx

His eyes narrowed as he watched Rukia fall to the ground and cry. That feeling was back, the felling that made him feel, almost guilty. He tried to shake it away, but it wouldn't leave him be. To his disbelief, he felt inclined to knell down and comfort her. His body acted on his thoughts, he knelled down in front of her and pulled her into his chest. He could feel her trying to pull away, but she was obviously too weak to do so. He silently cursed himself for his actions, but he couldn't stop himself. Despite his frustration, he gently pets the top of her head, just like a little lost puppy.

"Go back to your quarters, Rukia." His voice was unusually soft, it surprised him.

Without waiting for a reply, he dragged her up with him, and lead her to the door. When he opened it, Nemu was waiting for him in the dark stairwell, "Nemu, take Rukia back to her quarters, make sure she stays there."

As Nemu walked away with Rukia, he glanced back at the cell that contained Renji. Unless he wanted Rukia crying all time, he needed to do something about him. Keeping him here would also rise the risk of Rukia telling someone of everything that's happened.

xXx Rukia xXx

"Don't you have something for me to do?" Rukia stood in the doorway of her place, facing Nemu.

"No, I think it would be best if you stayed inside, for today anyway. And please do stay inside, don't make this more difficult then it needs to be. Someone will check up on you soon." With that, Nemu walked away from her, just like she always does.

She knew better than to try to go out, there was no doubt in her mind that Nemu was somewhere close by, watching. So, with nothing more to do, she sat on the floor and stared out the window. Soon, she drifted into a light, dreamless sleep. She woke up when a loud beating on her door echoed through the house. She stumbled to the door and opened it, half expecting to see either Nemu or Mayuri. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw who was standing in her door way. Renji was causally leaned against the doorframe, with the same goofy smile he always wore. Frantically, she rubbed her eyes, and was still in shock when Renji stood there. She told herself this had to be a dream, that at any moment she would wake up crying. Instead of waking up, Renji moved past her and looked around.

"Not really the same as your old place, it just feels different." He turned to her and smiled.

"R-Renji, what are you doing here?" She didn't move from her place, she couldn't.

"What do you mean, did you think that we'd all abandon you just cause you were switch to Mayuri's squad, come on Rukia." He laughed lightly, "So, how's it been here...? Rukia?"

She ran to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, "Renji, it's really you!"

"Damn, so it's that bad, huh?"

She looked up at him with watery eyes, "I don't understand, don't you remember anything?"

Renji put his hand on top of her head, "I don't know what your talking about. Are you sure your okay?"

She paused and thought for a moment, whatever was going on, she shouldn't say anything to ruin it, "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I guess I was just dreaming." She was overflowing with joy, she was so happy she could kiss him.

He let out a small, sarcastic laugh, "You were dreaming about me, don't I feel lucky? Look, I've gotta go, sorry I have to leave so soon. I just had to see you, make sure you were okay and all that. I'm sure Byakuya will be, ah, _happy_, to know you're all right. Even if he didn't show it, I'm sure he was worried."

"Okay, I guess I'll see you later then." Renji slapped her on the back and left waving.

She leaned against the door frame and watched him leave, she was still very confused. She closed her eyes and rubbed her head, closing the door as she did. As she was making her way across the room, there was another knock on the door. Before she could turn to open it, the person had already let himself in.

"Captain... Mayuri?"

"Did you have a pleasant talk with Renji?" He advanced toward her until he was only a few inches away.

"I don't understand-."

He cut her off, "He doesn't remember anything of what happened. He believes that he's been at a friends house."

"But, he's been gone for a long time, Byakuya would question him."

"Renji will tell him that he was gone because he couldn't handle your leaving, not again."

She was still affected by the happiness of seeing Renji that she wasn't thinking clearly, she closed the gap and wrapped her arms around his neck, with much difficultly, considering how tall he was. As she realized what she was doing, her face turned bright red. She tried to pull back, but as soon as she did, Mayuri quickly pinned her back to his chest. She pleaded for her body to move, but she couldn't even unlock her arms from around his neck. Her heart raced, he could of just killed Renji, instead, he let him live. All the _things _he did, was there true feelings behind it, did he keep Renji alive for her? The idea seemed insane and impossible, yet it somehow made sense. Her eyes widened as she saw Mayuri's mask fall to the ground, but she was too shocked to look up at him. Before she had the chance to even think about doing anything, Mayuri grabbed her chin and forced her to look up. She stared into his golden eyes, which seemed different without the mask; they looked softer, making it seem as if he actually had feelings. He moved his hand to the back of her head and leaned down, softly pressing his lips against hers. His eyes didn't close, and she couldn't look away, so she took a chance and closed hers, his gaze being too much to handle. She kissed him back, with so much unintended force that she almost force herself to pull back, but Mayuri's hold on her was too strong.

He pushed her back and leaned down to her ear, "Does that kiss mean your going to stay here?"

"What do you mean, I can't leave."

"....I'm giving you a choice. Answer the question"

"Yes." She kissed him again, still unable to believe what was happening.

FIN

_Sorry it took so long, and sorry about the fact that I suck at endings. With this and my other story done, I'll start some new ones soon, but not Bleach stories. _


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